Hydrogen fuel cell trucks to the fore
HYDROGEN FUEL CELL HEAVY TRUCKS APPEAR TO have reached a watershed moment in Europe, spearheaded by Hyundai rolling out the first of a 1600-truck order.
Ten Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks – the world’s first massproduced heavy duty FCVs – are due to start work in Switzerland next month.
The 4x2s are rated to work at up to 36 tonnes all-up, with a range of 400 kilometres – powered by electric motors running on power generated by two 95-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell stacks.
Hyundai says it’s now developing a fuel cell truck with a 1000km range – squarely aimed at long-distance haulage in Europe, the United States and other parts of the world.
The landmark delivery is the very first batch of the huge order – which is to be completed over the next five years – in a joint-venture between Hyundai and Swiss company H2 Energy.
The JV will lease the trucks to Swiss transport operators on a payper-use basis, with no upfront cost for commercial fleets.
The project is part of Hyundai Motor Group’s longterm vision for a “hydrogen society.” In the next decade it plans to develop a 700,000unit annual build capacity of fuel cell systems for cars, trucks and buses, ships, trains, drones and power generators.
Hyundai Motor executive VP and commercial vehicle head In Cheol Lee says that the XCIENT Fuel Cell is delivered as “a present-day reality, not as a mere future drawing-board project.
“By putting this groundbreaking vehicle on the road now, Hyundai marks a significant milestone in the history of commercial vehicles and the development of hydrogen society.
“Building a comprehensive hydrogen ecosystem, where critical transportation needs are met by vehicles like XCIENT Fuel Cell, will lead to a paradigm shift that removes automobile emissions from the environmental equation.”
The 400km range is a balance, says Hyundai, between the
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